There may be no more unexpected (or damning) faint praise for David Ayer’s new movie “Bright” than this: It made me wish I was watching “Suicide Squad” instead.

If this new Netflix production exemplifies Ayer’s creativity unfettered by major-studio interference, I’ll take a lousy DC movie over… whatever this is any day of the week. Astoundingly bad in virtually every way, “Bright” shares in common several of the shortcomings of Ayer’s previous film, including conspicuous evidence of desperate efforts to cobble its under-explained and yet somehow overcomplicated mythology into something coherent. It also snipes at the heels of sci-fi movies and miniseries like “V” and “Alien Nation” that explored race relations better literally decades ago.

Even Will Smith’s irrepressible charisma can’t compete with the unrelentingly muddy production design, the poorly-conceived characters and a profoundly stupid racial metaphor that somehow amplifies stereotypes of actual ethnic groups. The result is another genre disaster that’s only impressive in how arrogantly the filmmakers presume audiences will want it to be expanded into a franchise.

Smith plays Daryl Ward, an LAPD officer in an alternate timeline where faeries, elves and, most importantly, orcs coexist semi-peacefully with humans. Recovering from a point-blank shotgun blast to the chest, Daryl rejoins the force mostly to protect his pension, but his resolve is tested when he is paired with Nick Jakoby (Joel Edgerton), the first-ever orc cop, whose negligence resulted in his injury.

Meanwhile, Nick encounters resistance from his own colleagues, higher-ups and a very vocal public, who not only want him thrown off the force, but to end his tenure in disgrace.

During the routine investigation of a crime scene, Daryl and Nick stumble upon a secret lair where Tikka (Lucy Fry, “Vampire Academy”), an elf, is hiding after acquiring a magic wand that can only be wielded by special individuals, called “brights.”

But their efforts to follow procedure soon deteriorate after several of their fellow officers, two members of a federal “Magic Task Force,” a local street gang and an evil elf named Leilah (Noomi Rapace) demand that they turn over the wand. Soon, Daryl, Nick and Tikka find themselves on the run as they attempt to come to terms with the power of the wand and the ramifications of what might happen — not just to them, but all of Earth’s coexisting species — if should end up in the wrong hands.

There is an interesting story in here somewhere, one that brings together reality and fantasy, explores the juxtaposition of downtown skyscrapers and swooping dragons and illuminates the daily practicalities of neighbors with magic powers or unusual abilities.

But “Bright” takes a bunch of gobbledygook from “The Lord of the Rings,” liquefies it in a blender and pours it liberally over the same “corrupt cop comes to a moral crossroads” blueprint that Ayer has been copying since “Training Day.”

Worse, Max Landis’ script — supposedly rewritten heavily by Ayer — turns the whole mess into a parable of discrimination, clumsily evoking troubling moments in race relations both new (“Faerie lives don’t matter today”) and old (the Rodney King beating) to preach tolerance while somehow doubling down on stereotypes of Latinos and other people of color.

Even on a basic narrative level, few of Ayer’s choices make complete sense (or maintain a consistent tone), except to serve a half-baked sense of professional obligation, brotherhood or old school machismo that he seems to believe bonds his two central characters.

It’s easy to understand why no one wants to partner with Nick, but why doesn’t anybody like Daryl, as he is explicitly told? Are they truly the only two honest cops in all of this movie’s present-day Los Angeles? How is it possible that a “Magic Task Force” can refer to Tikka and Leilah exclusively on a first-name basis, possess recent photos of both, and yet have no idea where they are — and not be capable of tracking them down after South Central Los Angeles literally explodes with car chases and shootouts to acquire the wand?

And if everyone believes in the authenticity and power of a magic wand, why does nobody seem to know that only Brights can hold it? And why hadn’t anyone tried to steal it before?

Smith seems lost here as Daryl, even as he retreads his wiseacre pose from films like “Independence Day” and especially “Men in Black.” And Edgerton, buried under some combination of prosthetics and CGI, struggles to convey his character’s humorless, earnest intentions — appearing naïve or hopelessly inexperienced instead.

As elves, meanwhile, Fry and Rapace are opposite sides of the same insufferable coin. Fry shivers and spouts gibberish from beneath stringy locks like a poor man’s impersonation of Milla Jovovich in “The Fifth Element,” while Rapace literally muscles through one meticulously choreographed fight scene after another en route to a climactic monologue in which she clearly and concisely lays out her entire villainous plan.

Worst of all, “Bright” is ugly to watch — dingy, poorly staged, taking place mostly at night and in torrential rain for no seeming reason than to cover up how badly its action is shot and edited. Every moment is either too long or not long enough, and even basic spatial and logistical geography makes no sense. The characters fight “Warriors”-style across the city, somehow getting in and out of one locked room, packed club or secret alcove after another without energy or suspense.

When so much of the plot relies upon impossible coincidence, arbitrary change or pure contrivance, perhaps the title is intended to be ironic.

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The Evolution of Will Smith: From 'The Fresh Prince' to 'Bright' (Photos)

Long before he became an awards season darling, Will Smith was a successful rapper. From his early days in Philadelphia, TheWrap looks back at the Fresh Prince's colorful career.

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Fresh Prince (1985) A 17-year-old Will Smith met Jeff Townes by chance and the two ended up forming a hip-hop duo called DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince.

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First Grammy (1989) DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince received their first ever Grammy Award for "Parents Just Don't Understand" in 1989.

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"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (1990-96) After the IRS came after Will Smith for underpaid taxes, the rapper was nearly bankrupt. Luckily for him, NBC signed Smith and built "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" around his rap persona. The sitcom became a '90s cult classic.

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"Where the Day Takes You" (1992) Smith made his feature film acting debut in "Where the Day Takes You."

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"Bad Boys" (1995) Smith starred in "Bad Boys" alongside Martin Lawrence. Although the film wasn't a critics' favorite, it did well with audiences and became a box office hit.

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"Independence Day" (1996)

Smith scored his first blockbuster playing a military pilot in the summer alien-invasion hit "Independence Day."

Jada Pinkett Smith (1997-)

In 1997, Smith married actress Jada Pinkett -- whom he met when she auditioned to play his girlfriend on "Fresh Prince." (The role went to Nia Long.) They had two kids together, Jaden (born 1998) and Willow (born 2000).

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"Men in Black" (1997) Smith owned the July 4 weekend at the box office the following year with this sci-fi/comedy megahit, which grossed a whopping $250 million domestically. He also recorded his first solo single since his days with DJ Jazzy Jeff for the "Men in Black" soundtrack.

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"Wild Wild West" (1999)

Smith's next attempt to own the July 4 weekend box office was a serious misfire, a big-budget action comedy about 19-century hired guns trying to protect post-Civil War America from a diabolical inventor.

"Ali" (2002) Smith was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Muhammad Ali in "Ali," but lost to Denzel Washington in "Training Day."

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"Hitch" (2005) The hardworking actor was recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records for attending three movie premieres in a 24-hour period while promoting the rom-com "Hitch."

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"The Pursuit of Happyness" (2006)

He earned his second Oscar nomination starring as a real-life salesman and entrepreneur who struggles with homelesseness. The film also marked the screen debut of his son Jaden.

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Walk of Fame (2007) Smith gets a slab of concrete with his hand and foot imprint at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

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"Hancock" (2008)

This unusual take on a superhero film was a huge hit, grossing $228 million, but has yet to spawn a sequel. Smith played a down-and-out superhero who's teamed with a PR exec (Jason Bateman) to improve his image after some ill-advised heroics cause millions in damages.

"Men in Black 3" (2012)

Smith snapped a four-year sabbatical from the big-screen with the sequel to one of his biggest hits -- but audiences mostly yawned.

"After Earth" (2013)

Smith paired with his then 15-year-old son Jaden on this post-apocalyptic sci-fi adventure that was snubbed by critics and audiences alike.

"Concussion" (2015)

Smith lands another Golden Globe nomination for playing real-life Dr. Bennet Omalu, who took on the NFL after discovering football-related brain trauma known as CTE.

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"Suicide Squad" (2016)

Smith plays Deadshot, an expert marksman turned criminal who is recruited to join a band of super-villains recruited to work for good in the DC Comics movie. Many fans balked, but the film still grossed a career-best $325 million domestically.

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"Collateral Beauty" (2016) Smith plays a successful New York advertising exec who experiences a personal tragedy involving his young daughter and retreats from life, only to have his colleagues come up with a plan to bring him back.

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"Bright" (2017)

In this futuristic sci-fi cop thriller from Netflix, Will Smith plays an L.A. cop partnered with the first orc on the police force (Joel Edgerton). The big-budget streaming movie generated some of Smith's worst reviews since "Suicide Squad."

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The Oscar-nominated actor wasn’t always destined for movie stardom, he started out his career as a rapper

Long before he became an awards season darling, Will Smith was a successful rapper. From his early days in Philadelphia, TheWrap looks back at the Fresh Prince's colorful career.